Any volunteer experience is OK then?

[sleepymeko]

So, let me get this straight, any volunteer experience is OK, correct? As long as you have something, then you're good? Because I've been calling all around town for an opportunity to volunteer at a pharmacy and I keep getting turned down. Even working at a gift shop is OK? I thought that it had to be pharmacy related.

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[Passion4Sci]

So, let me get this straight, any volunteer experience is OK, correct? As long as you have something, then you're good? Because I've been calling all around town for an opportunity to volunteer at a pharmacy and I keep getting turned down. Even working at a gift shop is OK? I thought that it had to be pharmacy related.

The idea is that you start at the gift shop of a hospital (Or you start anywhere @ a hospital) and then, since you've got your foot in the door, when a position becomes open, you will have an angle to use to get in.

That said, yes, any volunteering is great volunteering. The reason why pharmacy volunteering is better is that you're knocking out two birds with one stone: you're getting pharmacy exp. and you're volunteering. But certainly spending time w/ Salvation Army or the Red Cross could never be bad!!

 

[Monalyce]

Try and get leadership while you're at it...be the HEAD gift shop volunteer! I didn't particularly like volunteering in the inpatient pharmacy, and transferred to pediatrics. I then went on to train and manage all peds volunteers, and it certainly didn't hurt me!

 

[rxlea]

So, let me get this straight, any volunteer experience is OK, correct? As long as you have something, then you're good? Because I've been calling all around town for an opportunity to volunteer at a pharmacy and I keep getting turned down. Even working at a gift shop is OK? I thought that it had to be pharmacy related.

Go to the soup kitchen. That is where they send convicts to do their court mandated volunteering (read: anybody can volunteer there). It would probably be very easy to do. We have a St. Vincent de Paul which has a free medical clinic for the homeless/poor and they have a pharmacy. I just did outdates and reorganized stuff and chatted with the nurses and nuns. It was pretty cool and fun. Besides, I got to meet docs and dentists who were working pro bono.

 

[sleepymeko]

The idea is that you start at the gift shop of a hospital (Or you start anywhere @ a hospital) and then, since you've got your foot in the door, when a position becomes open, you will have an angle to use to get in.

That said, yes, any volunteering is great volunteering. The reason why pharmacy volunteering is better is that you're knocking out two birds with one stone: you're getting pharmacy exp. and you're volunteering. But certainly spending time w/ Salvation Army or the Red Cross could never be bad!!

Oooh, OK. I get it. How long did it take you to get a volunteer position at your local pharmacy (I'm just assuming that you did)? I'm just going to assume that it can take months, even a year...

 

[sleepymeko]

OK, I am feeling a lot better now. I was panicking because I couldn't find anything pharmacy related.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Oooh, OK. I get it. How long did it take you to get a volunteer position at your local pharmacy (I'm just assuming that you did)? I'm just going to assume that it can take months, even a year...

Not a local pharmacy - A hospital. Pharmacies have insurance problems that prevent them from taking on volunteers (independents and big-box alike).

I started at the gift shop of a large metro. hospital in the bay area and it took a couple of mos. for a spot to open up in the pharmacy but I was a shoo-in for it when it did open.

Sometimes, desirable positions like ED and Pharmacy are only open to volunteers after 6 mos... so I'd plan on it being a long-term investment.